Classic Space Restoration Project

[fhomess]

All my old legos are still at my dad's house and this just increases my desire to go back and sort through it all. Part of the problem is that my older brother and I both want some of it, and our stuff is all mixed in there. It's not all in great shape, but we had a lot of space, castle, and town from the late 70's/early 80's. The Galaxy Commander was probably my favorite set of that era. I picked up some of the pirates stuff in the late 80's that my brother probably doesn't have as much claim to, but we'll see how it goes. Neither of us live close to my dad, so getting together to review it and sort it out will be a bit of a chore.

Edited May 20, 2013 by fhomess

[SNIPE]

Those supports have two types one with an axle hole and looser bottom clutch and one with an axle hole and stronger clutch theres also a tiny hole in the top of one type for say a 3l bar or hose or antenna

I'm unsure which one this set uses but the mould numbers wont help here either. Can you show a picture of the support from this set so I can find the right one if I restore one of these sets.

Edited May 20, 2013 by SNIPE

[jfbat]

This takes me back... I've had quite a view of these sets when I was a kid. Loved them to bits - literally sometimes! I also recognize quite a few of the problems you encountered with the parts. As I remember it the logos on the bricks sometimes faded quite quickly and sometimes even weren't that good when they came fresh out of the box. The cracked helmets were a frequent problem, the tailsections and supports breaking/bending were a familiair problem too. I also remember having one of those minifigs with a stickered torso, and also that it dissapointed me a bit, even back then.

Great to see them restored to their original greatness. I think these sets would still make popular sets today.

[Ralph]

Great work, I remember having one of these sets as a kit... you brought a few found memories with this restore. Thanks for posting.

[Rufus]

Those supports have two types one with an axle hole and looser bottom clutch and one with an axle hole and stronger clutch theres also a tiny hole in the top of one type for say a 3l bar or hose or antenna

I'm unsure which one this set uses but the mould numbers wont help here either. Can you show a picture of the support from this set so I can find the right one if I restore one of these sets.

Here is the newer mold in DBG from the 2006 A-Wing, with the older stand in light grey from 924.

The newer one has a hole running the length the part which will accept a pole such as a 6L bar.

Other varieties may exist - Bricklink doesn't distinguish the two parts which can make ordering replacements a little tricky.

Does this answer your question?

what a great project this has become! Are you going to restore other CS sets as well or is this the end for you?

I see you didn't replace the stickered red dude with another stickered one. I guess it's even more problematic to find those in good condition than printed counterparts...

Yes, there's more to come!

I didn't replace the stickered dude because he doesn't belong with the set, at least as far as I know. I think the stickered one only came with the little radar car. I could be wrong.

[SNIPE]

Yep that solves it, Thanks

[DarthNick]

Such a great project! One day I'd love to do the same for at least one CS set (though I'm too young to have ever had any of my own).

Can't wait to see 918!

[Rufus]

Interlude: D00000000000dzzzzzz!!!!

---

Some replacement dudes arrived! Most have perfect logos; some of the torsos have plastic that is a bit damaged; some have newer-style helmets; some have chewed faces ... but it's the quality logos that are hard to get hold of.

Just for fun, a bit of photoshopping:

[caperberry]

Hell yeah! (to both the excellent torsos and the rainbow Spacemen. Dark Blue rocks.)

Back on the supports - were the second type ever produced in Light Grey? i.e. if you order a Light Grey support from BL will it always be the first type?

[prateek]

Cool! Where did you acquire such a large number of DOODZ??

[Rufus]

Back on the supports - were the second type ever produced in Light Grey? i.e. if you order a Light Grey support from BL will it always be the first type?

Probably not in large quantities. The part only came in light grey in one set after 1984, and that was a reissue in 2003; there's no way to tell on Bricklink which variety came in that set. The earliest set I have with the newer part is 2004's 4500 Snowspeeder, so I would imagine the 2003 set has the newer part; even so, I doubt there are many of these newer parts around in light grey.

Cool! Where did you acquire such a large number of DOODZ??

Bricklink! I've been looking for ages, and was a little lucky here.

[Rufus]

Chapter Three: 918 One Man Space Ship / Space Transport

---

3.1 Before

This little set is the smallest of the matching 'LL' family, all released in 1979 (in the UK, at least). You see it here exactly as I pulled if out of the shoe box it had spent the last 15 years in ...

... with the exception of the spaceman.

The figure that was sat in this ship was in near-perfect condition, so I 'stole' him for 928. This is a different figure; while relatively clean, his torso logo has faded to white (an all-too-common problem), and his helmet chin is a little chewed, so it doesn't sit properly on his head. He's not good enough, sadly.

The ship is horribly dirty , but looks complete, at least from the outside.

'USS DEFIANT'? I think I must have been really into Star Trek at the time. I like to think I've got better at decals since then.

More dirt! As you can see, the CS logo slope has lost its detail, and even the yellow is a little faded; at least it isn't scratched.

The trans-yellow slope looks to be in reasonable order, but we'll have to see how it cleans up.

This side's LL918 brick looks to be in good order.

The plain blue bricks behind don't look quite so good, unfortunately.

On the other side, both the printed brick and the hinges look good:

There's another custom decal. I'll say this for little Rufus, he's consistent.

The worst of the filth is found on the back end:

The blue 1x2 plates under the manoeuvring jets should be grey. Some of those blue plates are very discoloured.

The underside is clean, at least. Some of the grey parts are a little yellowed. All three stands are in good nick.

Another decal can be seen here. I've no idea of the significance of '505' - I suspect I was just using up spare Letraset transfers.

Some alternative views:

Click the thumbnails for a larger image.

I should point out that I had modified this set to include a couple of computers in the cockpit - you can see them here. Taking the set apart, here are the parts I found:

The five parts at the front don't belong in the set. The 'down arrow' brick is in good condition; it was being used as a plain 1x2 brick. Closer inspection of the inventory reveals that neither the 1x6 brick nor the 1x4 grey plate should be there, and the two 2x3 blue plates should be one 2x6 plate. There also ought to be another plain 1x2 brick and two 1x1 blue bricks.

Some of the parts are discoloured; some a little chewed. Because the set is so dirty, it's a little difficult to tell how good the parts are, so in a change to my usual practice, I'm going to clean up all the bricks and see how they turn out. Back soon with the results!

[caperberry]

918 was the only ship I owned from Wave 1. Very special to me. I loved how the tray in the box turned over to reveal a landing pad.

Coincidentally, today I received my second 918 Went for an auction that had no fig, box or instructions as the pieces looked great - and they are

Looking forward to seeing your cleaned up version!

[DPrime]

As a newcomer here who just picked up a 918 (and a few other Classic Space sets, it seems!), I am LOVING this thread.

Mine is pretty clean but I still plan on giving it an Oxyclean bath... Anyone here use that to clean old Lego? It's something I picked up from years of collecting vintage GI Joe figures... They come out really fresh looking and clean... though my recent attempts with some REALLY dirty Lego still necessitates the use of an old toothbrush, to scrub a bit between the studs.

I'm a bit hesitant to leave printed pieces in there too long, though.

[Rufus]

As a newcomer here who just picked up a 918 (and a few other Classic Space sets, it seems!), I am LOVING this thread.

Mine is pretty clean but I still plan on giving it an Oxyclean bath... Anyone here use that to clean old Lego? It's something I picked up from years of collecting vintage GI Joe figures... They come out really fresh looking and clean... though my recent attempts with some REALLY dirty Lego still necessitates the use of an old toothbrush, to scrub a bit between the studs.

I'm a bit hesitant to leave printed pieces in there too long, though.

I find it fades the blue pieces, and the effect on the grey can be a little unpredictable. Be careful! I wouldn't put the printed parts anywhere near it if I were you.

It doesn't remove the discolouration from blue or grey parts, at least for the length of time I left them in there (over 24 hours). It's much easier to replace the parts.

White parts (there aren't any in this set) are best bleached.

[DPrime]

I find it fades the blue pieces, and the effect on the grey can be a little unpredictable. Be careful! I wouldn't put the printed parts anywhere near it if I were you.

It doesn't remove the discolouration from blue or grey parts, at least for the length of time I left them in there (over 24 hours). It's much easier to replace the parts.

White parts (there aren't any in this set) are best bleached.

Yikes!

Well, I might not have done it had I read this first, but I put a bunch of Lego through the Oxyclean wash and didn't seem to have any ill effects. Maybe it's the ratio? I don't put a whole lot of it in the water...

Mind you, I didn't keep it in over 24 hours, either... And yeah, I wasn't expecting any discolouration to go away. In fact, they weren't even all that dirty (except the baseplates), but after watching the amount of Lego that goes into my nephews' mouths when they play... yeah. :)

I just gave the printed pieces a quick dip and rinsed them off.

The only time I've ever had paint or printed parts come off with Oxyclean was an old junker Cobra Commander figure I had - I left him in for several days just to see what might happen, and some of the paint did eventually come off. Never had a problem with anything else, though.

Good to know about the bleach for white pieces... Do you think that's more of a "cleaning" solution, or are you just covering up the discolouration? Not that it matters to most, I suppose... I'm just curious. I'm not familiar with the actual chemical process that occurs with bleach and I guess my OC collecting habits have forced a distinction between cleaning and retouching in my mind. :)

Edited May 30, 2013 by DPrime

[DPrime]

Hey Rufus, any advice on bleaching white pieces? I know you mentioned this but I'm a little concerned about water/bleach ratios and how long they should soak (got a Galaxy Commander, yes!!!).

[daoudbazaar]

Great job, Rufus.

I'm really moved as I got it for Christmas '79 ...

That a great set of the Lost World.

If only TLG would reissue all the first wave.

Play it again, Sam

[yojeff]

I really like all your photos!

I'm separating my copy of the Beta-1 Command Base from our big Lego drawer, and I have less luck than you. Many small pieces are lost, many plates broken because the plastic is really brittle...

I'm sure your trio of spaceships will look great!

[boba_jagoda]

Nice space sets.

Before my time, I'm more of a futuron fan.

I've used 12% hydrogen peroxide creme for yellowed white, gray, blue pieces and have had great results.

Just leave the parts in the sun for a day or two.

Even the printed parts were perfect (don't know about the gold).

Use handgloves and keep away from the eyes.

[DPrime]

Must have been the fourth of fifth time I've read through this thread - really looking forward to more info! :)

Some 487 sets were sold with grey windows, and some of the red mini figs had black arms if I recall correctly. I got part of the 497 set off the marketplace. and the red minifigs I cant remember when I got but it was with a set but I was very young then.

I also got the UFO theme sets but only the small wing fighters from that time, they used to come free with the newspapers.

Ill post pics later on.

Was there any additional info to this? Sounds interesting...

Nice space sets.

Before my time, I'm more of a futuron fan.

I've used 12% hydrogen peroxide creme for yellowed white, gray, blue pieces and have had great results.

Just leave the parts in the sun for a day or two.

Even the printed parts were perfect (don't know about the gold).

Use handgloves and keep away from the eyes.

Yikes... putting vintage plastic in the sun for any length of time seems like an anathema to me!!!

Couldn't you just let the pieces sit in a solution of bleach and water indoors? Or does that not work?

[boba_jagoda]

You need UV light, so black light would do

(this is similar to what dentists do when whitening teeth )

[DPrime]

You need UV light, so black light would do

(this is similar to what dentists do when whitening teeth )

And this is a permanent fix?

I'm curious as to the chemistry behind it... even though I'm not exactly well versed in chemistry! :)

[caperberry]

Yikes... putting vintage plastic in the sun for any length of time seems like an anathema to me!!!

Indeed. But the spooky and cool thing is that uv light not only helps cause the problem, it can use its powers for good and help solve it.

And this is a permanent fix?

I'm curious as to the chemistry behind it... even though I'm not exactly well versed in chemistry! :)

It's not permanent. "Here comes the science bit..."

ABS used to have bromine added as a flame retardant. But bromine molecules literally vibrate when exposed to uv and detach, becoming free radicals. These move around inside the ABS and bond with oxygen molecules near the surface which causes visible yellowing (as bromine is brown). A bit like teenagers getting drunk at a party and making out with the first person they can, regardless of whether it makes for a good long term marriage (I'm not sure where this metaphor is going.)

Years later bromide and oxygen are still attached and languishing in yellowness, but if we throw another party with uv light and invite hydrogen peroxide along, the bromine detaches again but this time hooks up with the far more attractive hydrogen peroxide, which doesn't cause yellowing. So a much better marital resolution and oxygen never really liked that bromine anyway, what a tart.

In practice however it seems tricky to get right with Lego. One common issue is using too high a concentration of hydrogen peroxide, which causes the ABS to get unwanted attention rather than the bromine. This makes the plastic surface rough, ruining your pieces.

I'm intending to do my own tests soon and will blog about the results. But there's discussion out there on forums and blogs already if you do some searching.

[boba_jagoda]

Best explanation ever

Since I use the creme, and don't actually dip the parts into the H_2 O_2 but rather just smear it over the problem area,

I've really had absolutely no issues with destroyed parts, even after a long exposure

this is a before and after for a horse and some other stuff (sorry for off topic)

Edited July 17, 2013 by boba_jagoda